


Living (and Loving) with Over-protective Oliver Queen

by CJ_fics



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Protective Oliver, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-25
Updated: 2014-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-03 12:14:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2850512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJ_fics/pseuds/CJ_fics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity has had enough of Oliver's over-protectiveness!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Living (and Loving) with Over-protective Oliver Queen

Oliver has always been protective, Felicity knew that. She’s accepted that he, in all his Alpha Male Glory, would always feel the need to assert his power, claim his territory, and protect the ones he cares about the most. She also knew that she was on the list of the people he cares about. So she took his protective instincts in stride, and only kept her objections when he was being too intense about it or when it was getting in the way of her doing what she can to protect him back.   
  
Like, when he would throw a tantrum every time the notion of her going out in to the field for their Arrow work, she would call him out with the tried and tested “ _My life, my choice_ " dogma. But she never took it against him. Of course, he would object — he didn’t want to put her at risk.

When she found out that not only did he follow her home to every night to make sure that she got home safe and in one piece, and that no one was waiting for her at home to attack, she honestly felt a little bit safer. She could never be one hundred percent sure that no one had connected her to the Arrow. So she took that knowledge and used it to assure herself of her safety.

When she found out that she carried at least two EpiPens in his pockets all the time, she thought it was sweet and considerate. After all, she had a deadly allergy to nuts of all sorts, and it was relief to know that she could rely on him to have her emergency medication just in case she left her purse elsewhere.

Or when he would go against his No Killing Vow because someone was going to harm her, while that made her feel all sorts of guilty, in the end she appreciated that he did that because he cared. Because they were friends. They were teammates. They were partners. Of course, he would use all his skills to protect her from being in danger.   
  
And now, for two months now, they were finally more than friends and teammates, and their partnership had taken on a sexy, romantic twist. After months upon months of angst and push-and-pulls between the two of them, they have finally let their fears go and expressed how much they mean to each other, verbally, physically, sexily. In short, Felicity and Oliver were in love, they knew and they showed it.   
  
So Felicity expected that Oliver’s protective instincts towards her would be an at all time high for a while. She knew that his biggest fear was that she would come to harm because of her association with him (both of him). When she argued that being his teammate already put her at risk, and that being his lover would not put her at any bigger risk, he first considered firing her from the team and QC (As if, she had scoffed). Then after three days of her not showing up at the office or at the foundry, he realised his mistake and showed up at her apartment, ready to finally be in a relationship with her. But she knew, and totally accepted, that being with her did not in any way alleviate his fears for her safety. So she thought she could handle an upping of his protectiveness.  
  
She couldn’t. It was getting sorta-kinda out of hand!   
  
At first, it was sweet.

He had made it a rule that everyone in Team Arrow (Ha! Yes, Oliver used the words ‘Team + Arrow’ to refer to their group! Felicity was tickled pink when he uttered that phrase.) would carry with them at least two EpiPens all the time. Even their guest teammates, like Sara, Lyla, Nyssa, Barry, Quentin and Laurel. Even the members of the Suicide Squad. He even provided the EpiPens. When he made that announcement, Felicity blushed and tried to object. But when Digg and Roy said that they should have thought of that first, and Oliver’s ‘ _request_ ' (more like command) was met with no objections but rather smirking ' _Awwws’_ from their guest teammates, Felicity let it go. From a practical, logical standpoint, it made sense. And far be it for her to want to die because she was too proud to allow the idea of her teammates carrying life-saving medication for her.  
  
She even accepted it when Oliver would hand out EpiPens to whomever she was spending the day with. Like when Thea took her out to go shopping. Or whenever one of her friends would invite her for lunch. Oliver would kiss her goodbye, then hand two EpiPens to her companion after checking that her bag was stocked as well.   
  
Then she intercepted a memo from the QC Human Resources Department about everyone having a box of the provided EpiPens in their desk drawers on hand at all times, and another memo ruling that all the pantries in the Queen Building will be Nut-Free, and that nuts and nut-laden snacks were forbidden in the QC premises, _forever until the end of time_. That’s when she first had an inkling that Oliver’s protectiveness was going overboard.

So she confronted him with her Loud Voice. When he argued that he was only looking out for his employees’ allergies and making sure that QC was safe environment as ‘ _any good CEO would do’_ , she challenged him to address all sorts of food allergies and not just the one she was afflicted with. So now, all QC pantries only stocked gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and, of course, nut-free food. Basically, fruit. Lots of fruit. And vegetables.  
  
Sometimes, she swears she could feel QC staff glaring at her behind her back. She knew that they knew that she was the reason why the entire QC building was on a fruitarian diet.  
  
But, all right, she told herself, no one ever died from overdosing on fruit, and a healthier QC staff meant a healthier office environment. So she let it go.  
  
When he threw his Nth tantrum when she volunteered to be bait for a serial killer who had a penchant for short blondes, she screamed that she would do it with or without his permission. When he threatened to call Sara in to be bait, and then to tie Felicity up so she can’t escape the foundry, Digg stepped in and took Felicity’s side. Roy sided with her and Diggle as well. So the team outvoted Oliver, which gave him no choice but to demand three things: That a team member, preferably himself, will have an eye on Felicity the entire time she was playing bait; two, if something happened to her, even if it were just a broken nail, the team will never again bring up the idea of Felicity being bait; and three, if she died because of this, he reserved the right to torture and murder Diggle and Roy. Repeatedly.  
  
So, that was dealt with. And everyone was very careful and made sure that Felicity had no hair harmed on her head during that mission — and every mission since.   
  
She sometimes thinks that Digg and Roy always suggest other options before the option of having her out in the field because Oliver’s demands, plus the added requirement of going over plans every time she was out on the field at least ten times, were such a huge hassle. She reckons, if she didn’t fight for her right to be out on the field, she would be stuck in the foundry for the rest of her membership in Team Arrow. She was more than happy to fight that battle.  
  
The figurative straw that finally broke the camel’s back happened at Big Belly Burger.

They were having their usual Saturday lunch with Digg, Lyla, Roy and Thea. Sara was also in town for a visit, so they invited her to lunch as well. First, she noticed Oliver getting her to sit at the booth corner facing the diner entrance. Fair enough, she thinks, this was her usual seat. He sat next to her, despite Thea’s and Sara’s objections that they wanted to spend some time talking with Felicity. She thought it was OK, Oliver sitting next to her would be the perfect vantage point for her to get some of his fries from his plate.  
  
Then pots and pans came crashing down from the kitchen, causing a loud noise. At the loud sound, Oliver quickly and efficiently pushes her down under the table and bends his body on top of hers.   
  
"Oliver!" Felicity screams in panic.  
  
"Stay down, Felicity," Oliver growls, looking around for the source of the noise.  
  
"That sounded like pots and pans clanging, Oliver," Felicity hisses.  
  
"You’re right, Felicity. Just pots and pans," Diggle says.  
  
"What are you doing, Ollie?" Sara asks, looking at Oliver in confusion.  
  
"Uhhh," Oliver mumbles, pulling Felicity back up from her position from under the table. When he sees her messed up ponytail, he tucks the loose strands of hair behind her ears, whispering, "Sorry, I panicked," to her.  
  
"Dude, did you seriously go all Alpha Protective Mode because of the noise pots and pans make?" Roy asks, not bothering to hide his mirth.  
  
The rest of their luncheon companions join Roy in laughter. With the exception of Oliver, who looked sheepish, and Felicity, who looked like she was going to blow her top off. Very soon.  
  
"Uh-oh," Diggle says, sensing Felicity’s Loud Voice happening soon.  
  
"Argh! Oliver, enough!" Felicity shouts, pushing Oliver away from his seat to give her space to leave her corner, "Let me out, let me out, Oliver! Enough!"  
  
"Wha—?" Oliver looks confused but lets Felicity push him away, "Felicity—"  
  
"This is getting out of hand, Oliver Queen!" Felicity says angrily, "Pots and pans, seriously? And you behave like we’re being attacked!"  
  
She stands up from the booth, glaring at Oliver.  
  
"Felicity, I was startled, I didn’t know. I thought we were being attacked," Oliver insists, speaking to her quietly, trying to soothe her.  
  
"No, no, no!" Felicity replies, "This is too much! I’m going to go home and have lunch there."  
  
"By yourself?" Oliver asks, surprised.  
  
"Yes, by myself, Oliver," she responds, "Last I checked I was an adult woman who could go home by herself without needing her over-protective boyfriend protecting her _all the goddamned time_!”  
  
"But there’s no food in your fridge, Felicity," he says, trying to convince her, "We were planning to go to the grocery to get food after lunch, remember?"  
  
"Well, I’ll get food on the way home then!" she answers, turning away from Oliver and facing the rest of their companions, "Guys, sorry. I’m going."  
  
With all eyes staring at her, and Oliver looking dejected and confused, she huffs out of the diner.   
  
"Felicity!" Oliver calls out, rushing after her, "Wait! What’s going on? Wait!"  
  
Their friends look at each other in stunned silence.  
  
"Oh, he’s in deep shit now," Lyla says, causing everyone to break out into laughter and shake their heads.  
  
———————————————————————————  
  
Oliver had given up calling out her name after the first five blocks with her ignoring him. He opted to follow her in silence instead.  
  
He followed her to the grocery, where, like she said, she got food to stock her fridge. When he offered to take the bags and she ignored him, he sighs and goes back to quietly following her.  
  
He followed her back to her apartment and he seriously expected her to lock him out and for him to wait outside all day, all weekend, until she would let him in. So he was surprised when she left the front door open after she enters.  
  
Swallowing the warning words that sprung up in his brain at the thought of her not locking her door after her, he follows her in and makes sure to secure her front door.   
  
She’s disappeared into the kitchen, loading her cabinets and her fridge with food.  
  
He follows her there and just watches her, waiting for a sign that she was ready to talk, and shoring up his arguments and pleas as to why, even though he was an over-protective bastard who was impossible to be with, she shouldn’t break up with him.   
  
"Oliver," she starts, groceries all sorted in their proper place, ready to address him.  
  
"I know, I know," he says, "I’m impossible and I’m over-protective and I’m too much. I know, Felicity!"  
  
"Why?" she asks quietly, looking at him steadily.  
  
"I’m scared," he responds, turning his head away and low.  
  
"Of?"  
  
"Losing you," he gulps thickly as if the words were hard to say, "Sometimes, I lay awake at night, thinking about all the ways I could lose you. Not just in our Arrow work, but also the every day things. Accidents. Your nut allergy. Random acts of violence. Natural disasters."  
  
"You can’t live like that, Oliver," Felicity says plaintively, "That’s no way to live. I don’t want that for you, Oliver."  
  
"I know," he says quietly, "I’m sorry I’m such a fuck-up."  
  
She steps closer to him and reaches her hand up to cup his jaw, “You’re not a fuck-up, Oliver. You’re not!”  
  
"I’ve never felt this way before about anyone, Felicity," he admits, "In the five years I spent away, I thought I had learned to survive without anyone. I mean, to not allow myself to need anyone to exist. To not attach myself that way to anyone. But you — I don’t want to live in a world where you don’t exist. I don’t think I can. I don’t want to."  
  
"Oh, Oliver," she stands in front of him and wraps her arms around his waist, "I don’t want to live in a world without you, too. I don’t! But you can’t torture yourself with that idea that you don’t allow yourself to enjoy this. Us. This life that we’re building together. And you can’t spend the rest of your life wrapping me up in cotton wool. Because that’s not living. Not for you, and not for me."  
  
"Are you breaking up with me?" he asks quietly.  
  
"No, I’m not, Oliver," she says plainly, confidently, "But we can’t live like this. I know you love me. I know you care about me. I know you want me with you forever. I know those things. But this over-protectiveness, I don’t think it’s coming from a place of love, not all of it. Some of it is coming from a place of fear. And I don’t want that for you. For us."  
  
Oliver is silent as he mulls over her words. He’s relieved that she’s not breaking up with him, definitely. But he knows he’s got his work cut out for him, if he wants to keep her and keep her happy. The idea of losing her in any way is unthinkable to him. As is the idea of not making her happy.  
  
"What are we going to do?" he finally asks, looking into her eyes.   
  
She raises herself on the tips of her toes so she can peck him on the lips, “We’ll talk. We’ll read. We’ll research. We’ll talk some more. We’ll get help. We’re going to get through this, Oliver.”  
  
———————————————————————-  
  
 _One year later …_  
  
"Let’s go over the plan again," Oliver says, ignoring Roy’s eye-rolling, "Please."  
  
"All right. So Oliver, Felicity and Roy head to in the club at ten-thirty. Roy first and then five minutes later, Oliver and Felicity make their entrance," Diggle begins, "Roy, your position?"  
  
"I’ll head straight to the manager’s office to ask him about job openings," Roy responds.  
  
"Right," Diggle nods, "Oliver, Felicity?  
  
"We head straight for the dance floor and dance," Felicity announces, looking somewhat excitedly at Oliver. Oliver smiles at her and runs his hands through her hair.  
  
"Eyes on the mission, guys," Diggle rolls his eyes at the couple. Over a year of being together and they still behave like teenagers.  
  
"Sorry," Oliver says, turning his attention back to Diggle, "When Roy has installed the infrared cameras in the manager’s office, we’ll wait for a cue from Roy before moving on to the next step. Roy?"  
  
The team was having their regular pre-field work check-up. The mission tonight was to infiltrate a club that was suspected of dealing a new version of a rape drug that has led to the sexual assault of eleven women in Starling City over the past three weeks. There was chatter on the street that the club manager was the sole distributor of the drug, which was why his club, The Fox Den, had suddenly risen in popularity over the past month.  
  
Oliver still insisted on repeatedly checking that everyone on the team knew the plan and what each of them were supposed to do, especially when Felicity was part of the field work. This was the one thing that hasn’t changed in the year since he and Felicity started dealing with his over-protective instincts.  
  
It wasn’t a easy ride for the two of them. There were confrontations, fights and bigger fights between the couple as they talked through Oliver’s over-protectiveness. There were apologies and make-up sex. Lots of make-up sex.

There were sessions with Dr. Blackstone, a psychiatrist that Lyla had recommended who specialised in patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Sometimes, Oliver would attend sessions with Dr. Blackstone alone, and go home to Felicity feeling like a wrung-out dishrag. Sometimes, they went to sessions together, and went home feeling the need to reaffirm their bond, their love, with all night love-making.   
  
There were compromises. Oliver finally revoked the QC order banning allergen-rich food from the premises and from the pantries, in exchange for a memo the HR Department to make sure that all food items were properly-labeled for different allergy types. Oliver finally stopped handing out EpiPens to anyone who was spending time with Felicity but still made sure that she had at least three EpiPens in her purse at all times. The Team Arrow members and their guests still insisted on carrying EpiPens, just in case.

The team still had to go through their field work plans at least ten times, but everyone agreed that that should happen for all their field work and not just for the ones that involved Felicity. In essence, that level of safety checking was good for the team, anyway — despite what Roy’s eye-rolling implied.

Oliver also took back the threat of torture and murder to Diggle and Roy and anyone else involve should Felicity come to harm in one of their missions, but he reserved the right to object and play Devil’s Advocate any time Felicity offered to be bait. Felicity reserved the right to ignore his objections.  
  
Sometimes Oliver would slip and do something so over-protective, like blunting all the knives in their kitchen or asking Felicity to move houses because their townhouse was not weather-proof enough. When that happened, they would fight and rail at each other, then schedule an appointment with Dr. Blackstone. Then make up, then have make-up sex. Lots of make-up sex.  
  
Felicity knew and accepted that Oliver would always have protective instincts when it came to her. That was part and parcel of being loved by Oliver Queen and the Arrow. So for as long as she knew that his over-protective actions towards her were reasonable, didn’t limit her own protectiveness towards him and her freedom to do as she felt right,  and are coming from a place of love and care, not from fear, she could live with it. Even learn to love it.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I need to explain myself here. I don’t think over-protectiveness is a romantic trait, but at the same time, a measure of protectiveness will always be part of loving someone. So while I will squee with the best of Oliciters whenever Oliver shows signs of being over-protective of Felicity and therefore, showing how much he loves her, a part of me will always wonder if, in the real world, such actions would be considered healthy.
> 
> So this story is my way of working through my thoughts on that.
> 
> Originally posted here: http://outoftheclosetshipper.tumblr.com/post/96451678833/prompt-protective-oliver


End file.
